West Ham United v Arsenal (2019-20)
| next = }} West Ham United v Arsenal was a match which took place at the London Stadium on Monday 9 December 2019. Arsenal came from behind to end their nine-match winless streak as Freddie Ljungberg enjoyed his first victory as interim manager at the expense of his former club West Ham. Eighteen-year-old Gabriel Martinelli marked his full Premier League debut by side-footing an equaliser which cancelled out Angelo Ogbonna's deflected first-half opener at London Stadium. Within nine minutes, Nicolas Pepe had curled a magnificent second into the top corner and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired in a third. The salvo turned the game on its head and piled the pressure on West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini, whose side have taken four points from their past nine league games and conceded three times in three successive home games. The Hammers remain a point above the relegation zone in 16th and face a trip to third-bottom Southampton on Saturday. Arsenal move up two places to ninth. Arsenal's victory was all the more remarkable because until Martinelli added to the seven goals he has scored in cup competitions this season, the visitors had been utterly woeful. Club officials had spoken before kick-off about the improved atmosphere triggered by Ljungberg's appointment as Unai Emery's replacement but it appeared this game would end in frustration, just as the previous two had done under the Swede. The visitors were bereft of confidence and mild boos from the travelling support accompanied the end of a first half in which their side failed to have a shot on target and went behind when Ogbonna's header bounced in off Ainsley Maitland-Niles. True, they did not have much luck. Hector Bellerin was injured in the warm-up and when Kieran Tierney was helped off in obvious pain with a shoulder injury sustained in a seemingly innocuous tangle with Michail Antonio, Ljungberg had lost both his first-choice full-backs in the space of half an hour. Nevertheless, it was pitiful stuff and when Aubameyang surged down the right wing and sent over a cross that flew over everyone and straight out for a throw-in on the other side of the pitch, it was symptomatic of a club apparently heading nowhere fast. It was 1977 when Arsenal last went 10 matches without a win. With an away Europa League game against Standard Liege followed by a home encounter with Manchester City to come, at the interval it was not beyond the realms of possibility that the 12-game barren sequence from 1974 was going to be threatened. With Alexandre Lacazette and David Luiz on the bench, it was two of Arsenal's most inexperienced players who sparked the change in fortune. Ljungberg had obviously seen enough of Martinelli in two substitute appearances to trust the Brazilian with his first league start. The reward was a nerveless finish when his side needed it most. Sead Kolasinac provided the cross but there was still a lot to do for the Brazilian, who steered a first-time effort into the corner. Emery paid a club record £72m for Pepe in August. With one league goal all season, the Frenchman has not really lived up to his billing but his goal here, a curling shot into the right-hand corner of David Martin's net, was perfect in its execution. Aubameyang made certain of a win few would have anticipated 10 minutes earlier when his clinical finish took his tally for the season to 13. It disguised the fact he had been a virtual spectator for the first hour. At the final whistle, Ljungberg ran to applaud the visiting fans, knowing he had given his own chances of replacing Emery a significant boost. Match Details | goals2 = Martinelli Pépé Aubameyang |stadium = London Stadium, London |attendance = 59,936 |referee = Mike Dean }} |valign="top"| |valign="top" width="50%"| |} Match Stats Match Stats= {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- !width=130|Overall !width=70|West Ham United !width=70|Arsenal |- !scope=row|Goals scored |1||3 |- !scope=row|Total shots |11||10 |- !scope=row|Shots on target |4||3 |- !scope=row|Ball possession |36%||64% |- !scope=row|Corner kicks |4||3 |- !scope=row|Fouls committed |12||6 See also *2019-20 Premier League: Match day 16 External links * Match report at BBC.co.uk * Match report at Premier League.com Category:2019-20 Match Day info Category:West Ham United F.C. matches Category:Arsenal F.C. matches Category:2019–20 Premier League Matches